Starting My Own YouTube Channel!

Were you ever curious about the world behind YouTube? I was amazed that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.

Other than using YouTube to listen to my favourite soundtracks, to find entertainment, or to find supplementary educational videos, I never really explored the vast knowledge about how YouTube works.

To set my foot upon unexplored territory was a brave move indeed. I never had any prior video editing experience, or even dream about becoming a YouTuber. It was an English assignment in my foundation that sparked my interest in video editing. The project required me to produce a reflection video for my research essay about youth eating disorders.

Beginning my very own YouTube channel had me embarked on a voyage of self-discovery. In other words, every video I created made me a little more focus, a little more productive and a little more organised.

The beginning of this journey was very rewarding. It was an eye-opening experience as I gain knowledge about how the YouTube algorithm works and learn various strategies to gain more views and subscribers. I start off by researching for a suitable video editing software, planning my videos, editing them, learning to create eye-catching thumbnails, and

organising my channel page to attract subscribers. Other than spending my afternoons filming my videos and nights editing them, I spend most of my free time learning how successful YouTubers customise their channels, how they engage and connect with their audience.

Inspired by British YouTubers such as Unjaded Jade, Jack Edwards and Eve Cornwell, I worked my way towards becoming a motivational “Study Tuber”, who posts videos on YouTube with educational content, study vlogs and the list goes on. Moreover, the motive behind my enthusiasm for creating YouTube videos was to spread positivity, motivation, and valuable study tips for online learning to struggling students. It was really heart-warming when I received text messages from supportive friends to give positive feedback about my videos.

Besides, filming YouTube videos made me braver and more confident. I wasn’t afraid of the camera, didn’t mind the judgement by others, and welcomed valuable feedback. In addition, remembering the scripts indirectly improved my public speaking skills.

I really had a whale of a time creating my own videos. Using the video editing app Wondershare Filmora, I dived into the sea of video editing at ease. I would search for online guidance to do cool tricks with my videos, such as talking into a mirror and have my image talk back to me independently. In fact, learning video editing by myself was fun, enjoyable and satisfying.

Furthermore, I find that YouTube has a way to reconnect the society as a whole when everyone has to stay at home to stay safe from the treats of the deadly virus. I was glad to

develop another valuable soft skill amid the pandemic. Since everything became digitalised, I might as well catch up with the wave of change in my own way too.

In the past month, I managed to upload 4 videos with motivational content such as How to Survive the Covid-19 Pandemic as a Student, Creative Ways to Improve Your English, a vlog and another study-with-me video titled Motivation to Study at Home.

By the end of my first month, I gained a total of 1.1k views and 45 subscribers. It was not much, but it was progress to me. I will continue to create great content and strive to achieve my target of gaining 1000 subscribers with 40000 view hours in a year’s time. In this way, I would be able to generate revenue while helping the society. I hope that this zest of becoming a YouTuber will never burn out, and let this blazing flame continue to shine towards the bright pathway ahead.

This article has been published in The Star Newspaper NiE section by the same author.